Kitty Cat at My Door

Tonight a kitty cat was hanging around our door, so we brought it in out of the rain and played with it for a while.

She made herself comfortable right quick.

I love - really really love - how Jimi is with animals. Watching him set out a bowl of milk and helping Avery not be afraid. I think I would have just pointed at it through the window (I'm a little afraid of cats. The hissing).

Then when it went upstairs and made itself a permanent spot on the chair, I didn't dare pick it up. I kind of stood there wringing my hands until Jimi came and got her; sent her outside to get on home.

I always said I wouldn't marry a man who hunted for sport - for more reasons than "i don't want to hurt the animals" that I won't go into here - so you can imagine this kind of thing just tickles me pink.

Who says "tickles me pink"?

5th grade math teachers, that's who.

Remember This?

I stole this picture from Kim.

This was at Kailyn's baptism when we were there at new years. It cracks me up for a few reasons:

1. The stunt Evan is pulling - we call that "turning into liquid". It's one of my favorite things he does.

2. I look like a sister wife - that's what we are laughing at over there.

3. I am reminded of the weird noise Evan made totally loud during mom's talk. It sounded like it could have come from a grown man, so I know everyone thought it was me. But it wasn't, I swear.

Mama Knows

There are things that only a mom knows about her own kids.

Wherever I am throughout the house, my brainmap knows exactly where my kids are. The minute they change locations or activities, my subconscious radar goes up and I just know what they have moved on to. 

A huge puffy vein appears on Evan's neck when he screams.

He likes to feel things with his fingers while falling asleep or watching tv. Usually it is his blankie, but sometimes it is his shirt or even his other fingers.

He watched Piper lick up the water from puddles - and then tried it for himself.
Sometimes he walks backwards for fun.

I love looking at their sleeping faces.
Avery sleeps with her mouth open.

One night I could only find one pasi, and it was already in Evan's sleeping mouth. After searching the house, it hit me - Avery is too old for a pasi - why am I searching high and low when I could just empower her to end the silly pasi dependence?

And just like that, she no longer needs a pasi. No big deal at all. The first night she squirmed a bit and asked if I would tickle her back. Five seconds later, I looked down and she was asleep.

Nothing makes my heart squeeze more than when I go in hours after they are in bed to tuck them in. They stir a bit and make the "nuk, nuk, nuk" with their little mouths. We call that "the sticky noise".

Snow

A Pattern

I was looking through Jimi's baby pictures, and I noticed a theme...

let's see if you can pick up on it.

I'm not talking about the totally sweet lanolium flooring...

Randall, Joe, Jim, Sharley

Cutest little boys ever, I think.

I love this picture for so many reasons. Look at that old tent...it's straight out of a cartoon.

If you can't tell them apart, Jim is always the one holding an animal.

This is my favorite. He fell asleep while showing the puppies his trophy.

The dog looks like she's enjoying this activity.

even weird Brazillian animals...

enter Piper...

Sunbeam

This is Avery on her first day of Sunbeams.

Today I casually said that I was cold (it snowed!) 

she said to me, "but we have a warm house."

She is such a sweet little sunbeam.

I Turn 32

My favorite things about my birthday:

After sleeping in, I came downstairs to balloons hanging upside down from the ceiling (I decorated the night before). As per Avery's request, she and Jimi were hiding under a blanket, jumped out, and yelled, "SURPRISE!"

Jimi was tidying the house and took a stray needle upstairs to the sewing room. Returning to the kitchen, he told me, "do you know how hard it was to walk through a mine field of balloons with a needle in my hand?" ha ha! Such self control.

We got a text from Nettie of her minutes-old baby...born on my birthday!

After Avery got home from joy school and Evan woke up from a three hour nap, we ate lunch at a pizza place with a spectacular view of the ocean.

Chocolate mousse tort with raspberries...Avery led us all in singing 'Happy Birthday'. Her love of birthdays makes it fun times a thousand. She said, "you know mommy...this is the best cake edder (ever)."

Both of my babies cuddled with me while watching Yo Gabba Gabba in the last minutes before bed time. Cuddling and bedtime are always my favorite things.

Jimi and I watched (in peace and quiet) Discovery Channel's "When We Left the Earth".  It's a documentary series about the space missions, and it blew my mind. The idea that we walked on the moon has just become background noise, but watching this made me realize what a freaky thing space exploration is/was. It's on Netflix instant - so you must watch it. That's an order from the birthday girl.

I Bet My House is Messier Than Yours

Christmas + week long vacation + post vacation dump = messy house.

It took me forever to get this place under control again.

Evan got a bloody nose.

In the chaos of trying to pinch his nose shut to get it to stop bleeding, I declared the house the messiest it's ever been.

2011 Year In Review

What started out as the worst year ever (Jimi scheduled to work EVERY SINGLE DAY), turned into the best year ever.

I just knew something good was coming our way. I would think to myself, "it's there...we just have to hold on a bit longer and it will come."

I always love to go back and see what we were doing and what we looked like at the beginning of the year. There were so many changes in 2011. We learned how to walk, got a new job, moved, made new friends...

Here are some good pictures that never got posted.

:: January::

slumber party at Oakley's while Jimi is in Florida

still crawling

I turn 31

bald baby

::February::

waiting for daddy to come home

wean

birthday boy

::March::

our last trip to the canyon

::April::

goodbye Vision, hello Allegiant

::May::

boxing stuff up, looking for a house in Washington

hello little Reese!

birthday girl

::June::

one last party with Sammy

one last party with friends

Call me sentimental, but I got really sad when we gave The Cubicle to our neighbor. My babies love that thing. Plus we gave The Swing back to the Childs before they moved...

:: July::

moving day

9 years

::August::

We loved the excellent weather in August, and from where I'm sitting here in January, I can't wait for summer to return.

nursery boy

::September::

::October::

setteling in, indoors

::November::

helicopter

::December::